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“That’s why Hazel created the first English to trade standard dictionary. It’s what lets us read everything.”
I gaped at the blonde. “You did this?”
“Yep!” She went to the shelves lining the back of the room and rummaged in one of the storage bins. When she turned back around, she handed me a purple phone. “Here’s one for you. Kirel’s prepared a few extras. The purple ones not only have English, they’re also connected toARK 1as long as we’re in range. We have access to alien internetandall of our own data.”
I swiped over the screen, immediately fascinated by what was similar and what was different in how the software worked.
“Back to clothes,” Mollie said.
“Time for the over-the-shoulder boulder holder.” Hazel hefted her ample breasts.
Mollie giggled. “You mean the fun melons of joy bags.”
“More like itty-bitty titty sling,” I said, cupping my small breasts.
They both looked at me wide-eyed for a second as if they couldn’t believe I’d said it—and honestly, I almost couldn’t believe it either. But screw the rules that said I had to remain aloof. There women were more than simply “crew”—they were part of my new family.
I grinned, and that was all it took for them to break out laughing, their hilarity so infectious that I doubled over, my arms pressed to my aching stomach as my entire body shook. When I could finally straighten, I wiped at my eyes. “I guess I needed that.”
We huddled around Hazel’s phone, picking out clothes, and she got to work ordering the clothing printer to start making things.
I wrapped an arm around Mollie’s shoulder and gave her a sideways hug. “You don’t know how good it was to see a familiar face.”
“Same. We were all worried when we foundARK 1and the Grug had already removed you. Then we were more worried when we found out where you were.” She shook her head. “It was pretty tense knowing Captain Wrin would be killed if they caught him, but he insisted that he be the one to go.”
“He was right,” I said. “No one else has his mother. And I guess no one else would have been my fated mate.”
“I know I’m lucky to have Kirel,” Hazel said. “Maybe the Zaarn Goddess truly exists. She’s who they credit for finding their fated mates.”
“She does for Sul.” Mollie grinned, her whole being radiating a contentment she’d never had back on Earth. “He thanks her every day for me.”
“You two are happy, yes?” I asked, my eyes searching their faces. “You’re not just doing this to make the best of the situation.”
“Kirel’s perfect for me.”
“I never imagined finding a guy like Sul,” Mollie said. “He supports me and helps me without making me feel weak. It’s freaking wonderful.”
Hazel nodded.
I thought of Wrin pressing a knife into my hands so I’d be armed and the admiring way he called me hellcat. “I’ve got one of those, too.”
And I was a lucky, lucky woman.
After a quick lunch in the dining hall, we were leaving for Breyva for our first in-person meeting. But first, I went to check on Max. It wasn’t like him to miss a meal.
Wrin led me to a special room the Zaarn had created. The door had a cat flap in the bottom so they could come and go as they pleased. Short shelves climbed the walls, making zigzag pathways up to high perches. Cozy beds to curl up in dotted the floor. Glitter and the robot pups were somewhere else, but Max lay in the middle of a ball of fur, the four kreecats cuddled up like kittens.
“You okay?” I sent softly.
He cracked open an eye, and a sleepy wash of contentment flowed over me. It seemed kreecats needed a fair amount of touch and togetherness to be truly happy, kind of like the pack animals depicted in the old nature shows I’d loved as a child.
I backed out of the room with Wrin, shutting the door. “It’s not quite the same as his mother, but it’s good, really good.”
TheDaredevilcould be home for Max, too.
I gasped as we stepped out of the docking area and onto the platform that looked out into the interior of Breyva. The hollow cylinder stretched out before us, empty down the center to leave room for the bird aliens to fly. Huge yellow and orange flowers grew out of massive greenery along the walls. Numerous large light globes were mixed in all along the sides, emitting a sunshiny glow. The gentlest of breezes caressed my cheeks, bringing with it the rich scent of flowers that reminded me of the jasmine shampoo my grandmother had used.
“The flat, yellow druval flowers are used for public platforms, while the orange ones are shaped into cottages for the tourist and residential area of the asteroid.” Wrin pointed to the various things. “Only at the far end are there buildings of a more normal sort, where the government does all its work. That’s where we’re going.”
